‘Walking With Dinosaurs’ First Look; Chris Oliver-Taylor Exits The ABC; Mediapro Strikes Kate Del Castillo Deal; ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ Netflix Date Set — Global Briefs
BBC Gives First Peak At ‘Walking With Dinosaurs’ Revival
Here’s a first look at Walking with Dinosaurs, as the BBC brings back the hit natural history show after a 25-year hiatus. Check out pic above as the corporation recreates the Triceratops, Pachyrhinosaurus and Young Albertosaurus using cutting edge techniques. The new series will air later this year on the BBC, PBS and France Télévisions. Walking with Dinosaurs tells the dramatic story of an individual dinosaur per ep whose remains are currently being unearthed by world-leading dinosaur hunters. The 1999 original was hailed as ground-breaking, and is still considered one of the biggest production triumphs in natural history programming history. The news comes on the same day we revealed Sreya Biswas, the BBC’s head of natural history commissioning, is moving over to production with a newly-created role at BBC Studios Natural History Unit.
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Chris Oliver-Taylor Exiting The ABC
The ABC’s Chief Content Officer, Chris Oliver-Taylor, is exiting the Australian pubcaster after less than two years in post, as his role is scrapped. The former Netflix, Fremantle and Matchbox Pictures boss had joined in March 2023 in a newly-created role under ABC Managing Director David Anderson. The Guardian Australia reported that his role had been significantly reduced in scope following the appointment of new ABC Chair Kim Williams, who removed his radio and digital responsibilities and reportedly has different ideas about documentary output. Anderson, a key ally of Oliver-Taylor, is also exiting after resigning two years into his second five-year term. Former Nine Network boss Hugh Marks is replacing him. Oliver-Taylor’s spell at the ABC is best remembered for bringing together the screen, audio and digital units — before that decision was reversed by Williams — and for merging the Entertainment & Specialist and Regional & Local divisions. He commissioned shows such as The Assembly, The Family Next Door, Return to Paradise and Bluey’s Big Play, and helped grow the ABC iView streaming service. “Chris has been outstanding in his creative approach to supporting our content teams and delivering valued programs for our audiences,” said Anderson. “He took on a very challenging role, one that required someone with his experience and ability, and led our content teams through this period of change and growth.” Oliver-Taylor added: “After recent discussions with the Managing Director and reflecting on my ongoing conversations with the ABC Board and the Chair across many months, I have decided to make a difficult decision and move on to new opportunities outside of the ABC.” He exits on February 28 and will replaced in the interim by ABC Head of Screen Content Jennifer Collins as Director of Content from today “until further notice.”
The Mediapro Studio Strikes Kate Del Castillo First-Look Deal
The U.S. and Canada arm of The Mediapro Studio (TMS) has struck a first-look deal with actress and producer Kate Del Castillo’s Cholawood Productions. This comes in the same week TMS U.S. & Canada hired Francesca Ricagni as Head of U.S. Hispanic content and soon after the appointment of Catalina Porto as TMS Head of Content for Mexico and Colombia. The agreement will see TMS get an exclusive first look and option to develop and produce all Cholawood scripted and unscripted projects. Del Castillo, who is known for starring in shows such as Fox’s drama The Cleaning Lady, launched the L.A.-based Cholawood with Carmen Cervantes and Jessica Maldonado in 2019. “Kate, Carmen,and Jessica are true pioneers in elevating the voice of Latinos across the globe,” said TMS US & Canada Head JC Acosta. “With our studio doubling down on the U.S., we are excited to partner together to create stories that entertain audiences with Latino and Female lead voices.” De Castillo added that, “Only together can we continue to make our voices heard.”
Netflix Sets March Launch For ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’
Netflix’s latest South Korean drama, When Life Gives You Tangerines, will launch on March 7. The romantic ‘slice-of-life’ series will follow the adventures of Ae-sun, ‘the Remarkable Rebel’, and Gwan-sik, nicknamed ‘Unyielding Iron’, through “four vibrant seasons on Jeju Island” in the 1950s. Kim Won-suk (Misaeng: Incomplete Life) and screenwriter Lim Sang-choon (When the Camellia Blooms) created the show, which stars the likes of singer-songwriter and actress IU, Park Bo-gum, Moon So-ri, Park Hae-joon. Pan Entertainment and Baram Pictures are producing
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